Fabric Glossary and Patterns

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For those interested in bespoke tailoring, or for those simply looking for answers, the following is a tentative, comprehensive list of various fabrics used in clothing manufacture. *Please note, I tried to include fabrics that are either currently or recently used in clothing; there are thousands of upholstery and furnishing fabrics - this list only covers common clothing fabrics.

Acetate: pioneering synthetic fabric which helped lead into permanent pleating in menswear; typically blended with cotton or wool to instill excellent wrinkle recovery and draping quality, also quick drying and inexpensive.

Acrylic and Olefin: synthetic fibers typically seen in blended fabrics; although holds color well, wicks heat from body and inexpensively produced, both fabrics are highly flammable; typically used in active wear and upholstery, no longer seen in dress shirt blends.

Angora: harvested from the Angora rabbit, angora wool is considered one of the highest luxury wools produced; although it does not have the same elasticity of sheep wool, angora is much softer and sports a hollow fiber giving it a lighter feel; typically blended with wool in order to improve its elasticity and durability.

Barathea: soft hopsack twill giving the appearance of pebbled, ribbed surface, sometimes seen in evening coats and dinner jackets.

Batiste

Chambray
Batiste or Cambric or Chambray: a fine cloth made from cotton or linen, or sometimes wool or polyester, lightweight and opaque, may be used in some dresses; while Cambric typically has coarse appearance and is often associated with Linen, Batiste and Chambray’s finishes are typically smoother; usually seen in casual to business casual dresses or shirts, or also used in bed linens.

Broadcloth, Modern

Broadcloth, Classic
Broadcloth (old): dense woolen cloth, which may also be made of cotton; once used for luxury wear, now used in drapery, furniture and car interiors.
Broadcloth (modern): tightly woven and typically 100% cotton, formal or semi-formal cloth; appears monochromatic however usually woven with slightly differing yarns for added depth to color, considered some of the finest shirt fabric.

Camel Hair: similar to wool; harvested from molting camels; very soft and provides warmth without added weight.

Cashmere: strong, luxurious and soft, produced from goats; typically very warm and lightweight

 

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Charmeuse: differs from satin by being softer and lighter, but has same luster and gloss on front while dull on back, often seen in lingerie.

Charvet: made from silk or acetate in double ribbed weave usually in herringbone pattern; soft and shiny, used in ties, robes and some semi-formal wear.

Chenille: commonly cotton based, can also be made from synthetics; can appear iridescent due to weave and piling, sometimes seen in letterman jackets, but most often used in throws, bedspreads and carpets.

Chiffon: plain-woven and sheer fabric typically made from silk, cotton or polyester; has some see-through properties; often used in evening wear, lingerie and ladies’ ribbons.

Chino Cloth and Khaki or Drill cloth: a linen or cotton fabric closely twilled and often used in military uniforms, or men’s trousers; chino cloth is similar to khaki and mainly used for chino style pants, made from cotton only; Drill cloth is a stouter version of khaki and usually only used in military uniforms.

Corduroy: twisted fibers with parallel weave made of cotton or wool; although very durable and suitable for colder climates, corduroy is typically a casual to business-casual material; typically has pronounced ridge and channel pattern.

Cotton: used to make a vast number of textiles, cotton is quite versatile in application; can be very soft and luxurious as seen in some Egyptian cottons, to very stiff and repellant as seen in canvas; feel, texture and weave depend widely in cotton’s application. Typically, cotton clothing tends to wrinkle easily and tends to soft to touch.

Crimplene: predecessor to other polyesters like Trevira, heavier and less breathable, wrinkle resistant and keeps shape well; no longer produced and considered out of style.

Denim: rugged cotton fabric with diagonal twill weave, most often used in jeans.

Flannel: soft woven fabric typically made from wool and cotton, or wool and synthetic blends; particularly used for its heat retention; casual flannel or flannelette (cotton flannel in US) fabrics are often napped on one or both sides.

 

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Gabardine: tough and tightly woven from cotton or wool, one might describe the appearance as “diagonal corduroy”, excellent for lining pockets in a bespoke suit.

Gingham: medium weight, plain-woven cotton fabric characterized by broad checked pattern; although not typically used in clothing, still worn by certain subcultures.

Gossamer: a sheer, lightweight gauze-like fabric typically seen in wedding dresses or intimate apparel.

Grenfell Cloth: tightly woven cotton, typically used for exterior clothing like trench coats; provides a certain waterproofing, good for outdoors.

Grosgrain: typically a stiff, lustrous ribbon of silk or nylon, but can also be made of wool; characterized by its ribbed appearance; often used for lapels, collars, hems and bows on evening wear, also used with hats.

Harris Tweed: rough and unfinished like tweed, characterized by subtle flecks of color caused from vegetable dye and lichens introduced during production.

Hemp: Once used as a canvas or rope material, current fabrics have been processed down to wearable levels akin to linen or rough cotton; superior in strength, durability and mold, hemp also sports high absorbency and resistance to ultraviolet light. Typically used in shirts, future technologies will likely improve production to allow for suits and other high quality items.

Herringbone: most often a pattern in a given fabric, the herringbone fabric itself is typically a rough wool similar in feel and appearance to tweed. Not often found in modern suits, and usually incorporated as a pattern in modern clothes.

Leather: tanned, treated skin of various animals, most often cows; thick and soft, although an unfinished look may appear more natural, water repellant to the wearer; casual applications include pants and shirts, while some semi-formal functions may include gloves or wallets.

Linen or Irish Linen: made from fibers of the flax plant, linen is primarily worn for its exceptional coolness in warm weather; typically rough feel compared to cotton and usually rumpled in appearance, although ironing is not required; light natural color, often cream or off-white.

 

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Longcloth: plain cotton cloth of high quality, very soft and coarsely woven; typically used in undergarments and infant clothing, also sometimes used for domestic applications.

Mackinaw Cloth: heavy woolen cloth and water resistant, often plaid in color; used by loggers in the mid 19th Century, prized for its resilience, durability and warmth.

Madras: lightweight, textured cotton cloth, typically with plaid design, originating in English held Indian territory; used primarily for summer clothing like shorts, pants, dresses and jackets. Also popularly known as “Madrasi Checks” due to its plaid design.

Matelasse: although typically used in furnishings, this fabric is sometimes used in clothing designs such as women’s jackets; cotton or cotton blend, the weaving of this fabric lends the appearance of quilting or padding, but has no actual padding in the fabric.

Mohair: silk-like fabric made from the Angora goat; notable for its durability, sheen and high luster, retains heat and moisture well; considered a luxury cloth on par with silk and cashmere, sometimes used in suits and slated to replace wool military suits prior to its decline in popularity in the US during the middle ‘50’s.

Muslin: Loosely woven cotton fabric, particularly good in hot and dry climates; unbleached or white cloth; similar in appearance to linen; often used to back quilts.

Oilskin: cotton canvas with skin of oil, typically linseed, applied to it for waterproofing; often seen in sailcloth and slickers, although one must take care not to touch other fabrics with real oilskin to avoid transfer of oil.

Organdy: sheerest cotton fabric made, very crisp and stiff, wrinkles very easily; typically used in summer apparel or furnishings, also used in dresses or accessories.

Organza: sheer fabric traditionally made from silk, although now also made from synthetics; typically used in bridal wear and evening gowns.

Ottoman: pronounced ribbed or corded effect made from silk or silk and cotton blend, also typically made from artificial silk as real silk is too expensive; often used in formal dress, academic dress and also English legal dress; similar to grosgrain but heavier and thicker.

 

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Oxford

Pinpoint Oxford
Oxford and Pinpoint Oxford: soft cotton fabric, usually possesses a lustrous basketweave appearance, fine white threads mixed into weave giving more contrast, or possibly described as “pimply textured” appearance; Pinpoint Oxford tends to be higher quality, softer and more sheer. Although neither fabric is strictly casual, they tend to skirt semi-formal or business wear.

Pique or Marcella: created with cotton yarn and possessing fine ribbing or raised parallel cords; holds starch better lending itself to formal wear applications, specifically important in white-tie apparel.

Polyester: thermoplastic synthetic fiber used extensively in all manners of apparel, furnishings and upholstery; offers high color retention, durability and wrinkle resistance; often associated with a less-natural feel than common fabrics like cotton or wool.

Poplin: Soft, silky fabric that can be made of wool, cotton, silk, rayon, etc.; shirts typically hold shape well and do not wrinkle easily; can also have a subtly coarse appearance. In shirts, poplin can be cotton or cotton blend, appropriate for business casual to business, but is considered less formal and typically a casual fabric recently seen in polos.

Rayon: synthetic fiber which can imitate feel of cotton, linen, wool or silk; soft, smooth, cool and comfortable, does not insulate body heat and highly absorbent making it a good choice for hot and humid climates.

Sateen: typically synthetic or cotton, shares many properties with satin, however satin is made from silk; although smoother than cotton, tends to be much less durable.

Satin: highly glossy surface with dull back; primarily made from silk, may also be substituted with polyester, nylon or other synthetics; very lustrous finish and very soft.

Seersucker: lightweight cotton fabric commonly striped or checkered; typically only used for spring or summer apparel; has bunched, wrinkled appearance and does not require ironing; often seen in men’s suits, pants and shorts.

Serge: twill fabric with diagonal ridges on both sides; worsted serge typically used in uniforms, trench coats or suiting, while silk serge is used in linings; resilient, drapes and hangs well while flattering many body types in an assortment of weights.

 

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Sharkskin: occasionally used in worsted suits, typically made of rayon or acetate, appears two toned due to basket-weaving stitch; smooth finish and currently used in winter coats, wetsuits and diving suits.

Silk: woven fiber from silk worm larvae; smooth, soft, shiny surface that is not slippery, elasticity is moderate to poor therefore when stretched, remains stretched; shrinkage is natural and material should be dry cleaned.

Trevira: satinized polyester, lightweight and tear-resistant; retains shape and does not wrinkle.

Tweed: rough, unfinished woolen fabric, either twill or herringbone weave; good for informal outerwear being resistant to moisture and durable; often seen in sport jackets originally used when hunting or shooting, but now seen as business to semi-formal.

Twill: Fabric weaved into a diagonal line; a pattern typically incorporated into another fabric.

Twill (cotton): typically used to describe shirts, cotton twill possesses a shimmering diagonal weave and is richly textured, can also be herringbone twill, considered semi-formal to formal.

Velour: plush, knitted fabric typically made from cotton but now also made from synthetics; as rich in appearance as velvet, also stretchy due to its knitting; used for casual clothing, robes, blankets and theater.

Velvet

Velvet, Crushed
Velvet and Crushed Velvet: often made from silk, can also be made from cotton for less luxurious feel, or synthetics for less expensive alternative; woven, tufted fabric in which cut threads are evenly distributed with short, dense pile for a distinctly soft feel and heat retention. Crushed velvet is twisted while the dye is still wet, creating patterns in the fabric. Typically, velvet or crushed velvet are rarely used in clothing, and occasionally theatrical apparel.

Viyella: soft, dress-weight fabric made of 55% merino wool and 45% cotton in twill weave; more resistant to shrinkage compared to wool; no longer in production.

 

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Whipcord: similar to corduroy in appearance, however, diagonal weave with hard, smooth finish as opposed to corduroy’s vertical weave with fuzzy finish. Made from either wool or cotton, typically used in outdoors clothing; tends to be rugged and sturdy.

Wool, Virgin

Wool, Worsted

Wool: like cotton, wool has many applications; possesses greater bulk than other fabrics allowing it to retain air thus retaining heat even when wet, also quite absorbent and able to hold a third of it weight in moisture; feel of the fabric depends on the amount of crimp ranging from Merino wool at 100/inch to karakul at 2/inch; Virgin Wool is wool spun for the first time, Shoddy wool is made by tearing apart existing fibers to recycle into respun yarns, Worsted wool is typically softer, combed and used for suiting, possessing a strong, hard surface.

 

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Common Patterns in Gentlemans' suits:

Bird’s Eye or Nailhead: has appearance of tiny dots of a lighter color on a darker background; similar in effect as a Pinpoint Oxford shirt with an overall color somewhere in the middle of the two contrasting colors, semi-formal to formal, but not as formal as solids, and not substituted for the most formal occasions.

Glen Check or Prince of Wales Check: Monochromatic tartan, utilizes bands of vertical and horizontal stripes which create an overall wider check effect; semi-formal.

Herringbone: Altered diagonal lines forming a V pattern, semi-formal or country suits.

Houndstooth: A series of jagged, broken checks like a saw blade, semi-formal or country suits.

Stripes, Pinstripe

Stripes, Chalk Stripes

Stripes: Regularly spaced, vertical stripes of lighter color than fabric, e.g. pinstripes, chalk stripes; pinstripes tend to make the wearer look taller and thinner while still formal, while chalk stripes only aide in making the wearer taller and are less formal.

Tartan or Plaid: large, contrasting crisscross or vertical bands of various colors, although commonly casual to semi-formal, may be used as garish substitute for subcultures.

Windowpane Check: Fine lines creating large, open squares over contrasting smaller lines and checks; semi-formal.

 

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I apologize if some of the examples aren't the greatest; I tried to find descriptive pictures. Anyone see anything I missed? I would be happy to add!

 

[willyk57]

No apology necessary. This is a grate list and resource.:eusa_clap

Thanks for taking the time to bring all the examples together.

Regards,
Willyk57

 

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Wool, Astrakhan fur: specifically karakul lamb’s wool, this fabric is typically used in hats and coats, as well as linings due to its heat retention. Seen throughout much of Russia, upper Asia, and old-world Europe.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"Racoon Fur"

 

[Tomasso]

My old man had a overcoat with an Astrakhan collar.

 

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I've been reading through Sherlock Holmes shorts and come across a number of patterns. When I went to research them, I found a few sources I'd like to look over.

So! I have some further research to do at the library. I've also got some corrections (specifically the Prince of Wales Check) to make as well.

 

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Prince of Wales Check: Similar to the Glen Urquhart Check in pattern of weave; Red-brown and white with bordering navy checks.

Seaforth Check: Regimental check, white ground with alternating checks of chocolate brown and tan, as well as a bright russet over-plaid.

Strathspey Check: gun-club check with similar pattern as dupplin but very dark over-check displacing the dupplin’s scarlet.

Shepherd Check: all checks rest on this founder, originally worn by Scottish shepherds on shawls known as “plaidies”; alternating black and white checks, either four white four black, or six white and six black.

Scots Guard Check: Regimental check, large basket effect produced by two light and two dark warp and fillings, but with four dark ends being brought together.

Russell Check: Six black and six white lines with russet over-plaid displacing every eighth black check.

Mar Check: Only very slightly different than the Glen Check, possessing fewer lines per check for a busier pattern.

Lochmore Check: Gun-club pattern, soft green and brown checks on white ground.

Kinlochewe Check: Russet and white check, every seventh white check has a single black thread, and a single scarlet thread displaced the center check.

Invercauld Check: a two and two stripe down ground in white and drab marl twist, with near two and half inch over-plaid of green.

 

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Ing Check: white ground with red-brown “brick” check, similar to Shepherd black check.

Horse Guards Check: Regimental check, red-brown and white background with dark navy check.

Guisachan Check: houndstooth check with four white and four black warp crossed with four white and four tan in filling.

Glen Moriston Check: Gun-club check, white ground with alternating checks of dark navy and light green lovat, giving a slightly yellowish cast.

Glenfeshie Check: nearly identical to the Shepherd check with a bold crimson line every tenth black check; used to distinguish the gamekeepers of the forest from the shepherds.

Gairloch Check: similar to the Coigach, the main difference being a light biscuit field instead of white, alternating brown and black checks.

Fannich Check: Gun-club pattern similar to the Coigach, chocolate, lovat, black and yellow within.

Erchless Check: quite similar in appearance to a plain twill weave, colors are white, yellow and black.

Dupplin Check: same pattern as the seaforth with black and dark red-brown checks, the over-plaid being scarlet.

Dacre Check: nearly identical to the Coigach, but only differing in size of check.

 

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Coigach Check: the original gun-club pattern, although created by a Scotsman, pattern was adopted by the American Gun Clubs in 1874; alternating black and red checks on white ground.

Brooke Check: black and white twist check alternating with an eight lovat mixture while every fourth lovat check is edged on either side with a single thread of scarlet.

Benmore Check: similar to the Prince of Wales Check, but of smaller pattern size and possessing a brown line in place of Prince’s navy, as well as black accents versus red.

Ballindalloch Check: Derivative of Shepherd check, green line every seven brown checks on white field.

 

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I have some in-depth information on the way from further research into fabrics. I'll be covering (in outline format) primary and secondary fabrics including animal, vegetable, mineral and man-made. I'll include some detailed information regarding production, too. I'm still researching, however, and I won't be posting until I'm complete.

It's been a long weekend, but I was able to get to the library to do some work. I'll be posting soon!

 

[Undertow]

Okay, all research is complete, a bibliography has been created, and about 17pages of outline are ready to post. I've looked into hosting the finished product, but I couldn't find anything viable, so I'll paste directly to the lounge.

I'm going to open a new thread (tonight or within the near future, time permitting) which will include a detailed breakdown of each fiber, its origin, its production, its care, and its general uses. I'll also detail yarns, weaves and finishes, including some of the pros and cons.

This will be pretty detailed and dry, but I believe it would be an excellent way to jumpstart your clothing selection as well as your understanding of fabrics from their most basic elements. It will be relevant to vintage AND modern clothing. If you've been dying to know what fabric blend to buy in the summer, or how to care for silk, or why Rayon is closer to natural fiber than polyester, this will answer all your questions.

Give me a little time and I'll have it all posted in a relatively easy to read format (although not as good looking as I'd prefer because I'm no whiz at HTML). Keep your eyes peeled!

 

[Methuselah]

If you need a hand with any HTML/CSS, feel free to ask me - I'm a web developer by trade. Or maybe this could be compiled into a PDF? I think I have some freeware that would do it. Excellent work so far!